World Cup 2014 – 5 Best Bets

There’s thousands of betting markets offer for this year’s World Cup but where is the best value to be had?

#5 Colombia To Win The World Cup @ 33/1

A big price admittedly but the South American side with the best defensive record in qualification shouldn’t be 33/1 shots, especially as they have been drawn in a decent group. Coach Jose Pekerman is likely to be without star striker Falcao but even in his absence they have plenty of quality players, with Monaco playmaker James Rodriguez the chief among those. Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan should pose little problems in their section and they look primed for a deep run in the tournament on their own continent.

#4 Gonzalo Higuain Top World Cup Scorer @ 25/1

Gonzalo Higuain is a bigger price than his Argentine attacking buddies Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot market but the Napoli forward represents the better value. He scored just one goal less than Messi in qualification and playing in a group featuring whipping boys Iran should help boost his personal goal tally. Also remember that Higuain tends to play more centrally than Messi and Aguero for the national team while it shouldn’t be forgotten that Bosnia are also an attack minded side who should leave space for Higuain. Everything points to 25/1 being a good price about him top scoring.

#3 Josip Drmic Top Switzerland Scorer @ 3/1

Only Mario Mandzukic and Robert Lewandowski scored more Bundesliga goals than Josip Drmic this season – when you also consider he did that for a relegated club (Nurnberg) in his debut season, you begin to understand just how impressive the 21 year-old has been. Drmic has only just arrived on the international scene but looks likely to be Ottmar Hitzfeld’s chief attacking protagonist in Brazil – at 3/1 he looks very good value to top his nation’s scoring charts.

#2 England To Qualify From Group D @ 4/6

England have made at least the last 16 of every World Cup since 1994 and haven’t lost a group stage game in either the World Cup or European Championships since 2004. They also qualified top of their group with no defeats in 10 games and just four goals conceded. So why are the English public so negative about their chances? Their group isn’t as bad as some pundits have made out, with Uruguay a side past their best who have no more improvement in them while Italy are not considered among the game’s elite and look over-reliant on Andrea Pirlo. Costa Rica meanwhile, are surely sitting ducks. England also only have their opening game against the Italians in the humid north of the country and look a solid bet at 4/6 to make it out of their section, especially as Roy Hodgson has plenty of in-form Premier League players to choose from.

#1 Chile To Qualify From Group B @ 11/10

Jorge Sampaoli has built on the work of his predecessor Marcelo Bielsa and maintained an energetic, high-pressing, direct side who are more than a match for anyone – recent performances in friendlies against some of the world’s best sides are testament to that. Arturo Vidal (Juventus) and Alexis Sanchez (Barcelona) are the star turns and they look well capable of giving Holland a real run for their money in the Group B qualification race. The Dutch look very weak at the back – an area Chile should be able to capitalise on – while the eagerness of boss Louis van Gaal to tie up a deal with Manchester United before the tournament starts is surely indicative of how he sees the Oranje performing. Catching Spain in the race for top spot may be too much but at 11/10 Chile look outstanding value to make it out of their section.